Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011 has some new features this year, the most interesting one of which is the addition of cloud-based security.

One of the first things I liked about this program is the fact that it installed very quickly indeed.

I didn’t time it but I would guess that the process probably took less than a minute to complete which is speedy indeed when compared to some of the other av programs I’ve put on my laptop recently.

Interface

How good an antivirus program’s interface is can be a rather subjective question.

With Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011 you get a very basic one indeed and that may or may not be appealing to you.

If you are an advanced user then you may feel that this program is a little too basic for you but the less experienced users out there will likely appreciate the simplicity and ease of use that it affords.

Having played around with the interface for a while I would say that I personally don’t like it very much but my kids would certainly welcome it if this was the program they were using on their computers.

Scanning

As you should expect, Titanium Antivirus 2011 will protect you from the usual suspects, including –

viruses

spyware

trojans

worms

rootkits

keyloggers

hackers

exploits, etc

Protection against the above is granted through the use of signature recognition as well as via cloud security, the latter of which allows for quicker identification of potential threats.

Updates

One of the big advantages of cloud-based security is the fact that the program will be notified of new threats as and when they are detected.

The days of updating your antivirus program once in a blue moon, or even hourly, are long gone and users of Titanium Antivirus will benefit from real-time updates and protection.

Taking updates from the cloud is automatic so there should never be any need for users to worry themselves about whether their protection is current or not.

Support

Like any good antivirus vendor, Trend Micro offer a range of support options to users of their products –

they have a knowledgebase

there is a discussion board

you can email for support

and there is telephone support available

Features

As I mentioned earlier, Titanium Antivirus 2011 is installed quickly and has a minimalistic interface.

Whilst some advanced users may see this as a negative point it does have its advantages too.

The main benefit here is the fact that the program uses cloud security which means that it is very lean and runs fast.

You can set this antivirus program up and then almost totally forget that it is there as it has, on my system at least, no noticeable impact upon the computer’s performance which is always a plus point in my eyes.

Also, the installation itself is very small indeed so it may appeal to those who are running low on hard drive space.

The one feature that is conspicuous by it’s absence its a ‘gamer mode’ which is becoming pretty well standard amongst competing products and, if like me, you do play games on your PC, then I would suggest it is well worth having.

One good feature that this program does have is TrendProtect which is a browser plugin that adds security notices and warnings to search engine results pages, a feature that many other antivirus and security programs have added recently.

Pricing

At the time of writing Trend Micro have a sale on for the Cyber Monday period (see antivirus coupons for more info on that).

From my use of Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus 2011 I would conclude that it is a good and effective program but not one that I would buy myself.

Maybe that is because I am not, I hope, a basic user – the program just seems too simplistic to me and it’s extra features are a bit thin on the ground – the lack of a gamer mode being something that would really bother me.

It is, in my opinion, more suitable for a young or novice user who wants to set up an antivirus program with the minimum of fuss and then forget it is there.

So, to conclude, I think the program is good and it is a suitable security solution but if you are looking to buy an antivirus program I would suggest using the 30 day trial to see if it is suitable before making a final purchasing decision.

Lee's non-technical background allows him to write about internet security in a clear way that is understandable to both IT professionals and people just like you who need simple answers to your security questions.